Once you have been a trail-blazer and the toast of your nation —albeit even if it was only an F1 seat in a sad car purchased largely on account of Tata money.
NEW DELHI: Narain Karthikeyan winning an A1 race is by far not the greatest achievement this man has managed. The very fact that he continues to deliver despite consistent cynicism is probably more deserving of applause.
Once you have been a trail-blazer and the toast of your nation — albeit even if it was only an F1 seat in a sad car purchased largely on account of Tata money — it is easy to sit back and stay forever haloed as the pioneer.
He had no reason to pit himself into the untested waters of A1 GP. But then that’s what essentially epitomises the enigma that is Karthikeyan.
Always at unease in the role of a celebrity, Karthikeyan is the quintessential motrosports junkie. He races for the need of it.
For the adrenaline surge and the release that only a good day on track can give. That and the fact that there has been a ferocious whisper campaign looking to highlight the fact that he is 30 and that he had not won for three long years. Karthikeyan knows that he has unfinished business not just in F1 but also when it comes to shutting up people who challenge his claim to be being the fastest Indian.
Lousy media management and terrible image handling is the Karthikeyan way as he chooses to do from the heart what his managers would rather have him do from the form book. It is no secret that the people who matter in F1 were not pleased he went the A1 way.
He just did. For the need to race competitive was bubbling and you can’t keep a man given to the abandon of flooring it on track chaffing in the role of a test driver alone.
Word has it that F1 team Super Aguri may be up for sale with a strong Indian conglomerate looking to take over. That may vouch for the recent optimism shown by the only Indian to have broken into F1 when he keeps repeating that he will be back.
Given the subterfuge and the feints that dog the shadow world of F1 team ownership, that bit is up in the air for now. When the chips fall into place the pioneer may still be foraging ahead. For winning on track is the Karthikeyan way; fancy sound bytes isn’t.
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